Israel claims that more than 1,400 people have been killed and 220 others taken hostage in the Hamas attack against Israel. According to Hamas’s health officials in Gaza, over 6,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air strikes, and more than 17400 others injured.
What’s going on in Gaza is known by a modern word. The term Domicide is used to describe the intentional destruction of a home or city. The word Domicide is derived from the Latin words domus, meaning home, and Cide for deliberate killing.
Home here does not only refer to the tangible built environment that people have in their homes and properties. It also refers to people’s senses of belonging and identities. In many wars and conflicts around the world, we see that along with the destruction of architectural structures, people’s dignity and sense of belonging are also targeted.
Genocide and domicide are linked: genocide is the killing of a person, and domicide is the destruction of their culture and material presence. , a UN housing expert, argued in 2022 that domicide be recognized as a crime international.
People who are displaced continuously from their homes for years or decades feel a deep sense of sadness and grief that their past is being erased.
Homs destroyed
Since the 2011 uprisings against Bashar al-Assad’s government, my home city, Homs in Syria, on which I have focused my research has undergone a complete transformation.
Over half of the neighbourhoods were heavily damaged, and more than a quarter were partially destroyed. Across the country, destroyed by new laws that designate them as “informal”.
Listen to Ammar Azzouz talk about his research on The Conversation Weekly podcast .
Domicide in Gaza
It is not necessary to compare Homs with Gaza. Each place has its own struggles and context. Since the Hamas attacks on Israel, I have been watching the news constantly and can’t help but look at the updates regarding the heavy Israeli bombardment. It’s heartbreaking to see the destruction and mass displacement. Gaza was described as a prison in the open, and those who live there have been forced to leave their homes.
Israel claims it has a right to self-defense and that Hamas is being targeted, but given the extent of the damage to homes and hospitals, as well as “safe areas”, what is happening in Gaza seems to be a domicidal act. Israeli authorities ordered people living in Gaza’s north to move south to “safe areas”. However, the southern areas are still being bombed. The bombardment kills civilians and destroys neighbourhoods. Videos show that entire buildings were leveled.
Avi Shlaim is an Israeli-British history professor who was born and raised in Baghdad. a critic of Israel, he called Israel’s actions “state-sponsored terror”. , an Israeli historian , wrote that “Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza is explicit, open and unashamed”. Others argue against any comparison of Hamas’ attacks with Israel.
Gaza Strip death toll is increasing daily by hundreds, including many children. Imago/Alamy Stock Photo
Catastrophe for Palestinians
This is not the first time Palestinians have lost their homes in Gaza. The Palestinians in Gaza have experienced displacement before. Many academics, activists, and journalists, including Queen Rania Al Abdullah, have called for a context to place the Palestinian struggle in the context of the history of suffering, dispossession, and forced displacement that has occurred since 1948.
It is important to recognize that when one million people are forced to leave their homes, they have an attachment to the place, their neighbourhood, and their street. Loss of home and displacement can have a lasting impact on people.
